World’s five major rising economies back Iran deal

The world’s five major rising economies have expressed support for the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, urging all parties to live up to their commitments under the deal.

In a joint statement issued during their latest summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen on Monday, the BRICS countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — defended the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) amid attempts by the United States to undermine it.

“We firmly support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue and call upon all relevant parties to comply fully with their obligations and ensure full and effective implementation of the JCPOA to promote international and regional peace and stability,” part of the statement read.

Mogherini, Amano discuss JCPOA implementation

Separately on Monday, the European Union (EU)’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Director General Yukiya Amano on the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia, where she discussed the implementation of the JCPOA, among other topics.

Mogherini has repeatedly stressed that the JCPOA is a multilateral deal and that no party can singularly make decisions on behalf of others. She has been particularly expressive in recent months as Washington — a party to the deal that seems to want to withdraw — has stepped up rhetoric and action against the deal.

And the IAEA, which has been tasked with monitoring Iranian compliance with the deal, recently came under pressure by the US to request access to Iranian military sites, in what the US thought would undermine the deal. The IAEA has rejected that demand.

Despite repeated IAEA reports verifying full Iranian compliance, the administration of US President Donald Trump has sought to portray Iran as being in violation of the accord.

The IAEA most recently verified Iranian adherence to its commitments on Thursday, shortly after US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley traveled to Vienna to press the agency to request access to Iran’s military sites.

Mogherini said last Monday that “compliance with the deal is certified by the IAEA and by the Joint Commission I chair…, not by one single individual country,” in a thinly-veiled rejection of US attempts.

The JCPOA was reached between Iran and the P5+1 countries — namely the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany — in July 2015 and took effect in January 2016. Under the deal, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of all nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.